Inflation fails to stem manufacturing skills drive, according to new training report

Skills remain a key priority for manufacturers, with a report revealing that training budgets have not been hit by rising inflation.

86 per cent of firms questioned in the annual In-Comm Training Barometer said that their spending intentions have remained unchanged, with more than three quarters investing in new technology to boost productivity - an 8 per cent rise on last year’s findings.

The survey, which features the views of 113 bosses, also reveals that 61 per cent are planning to take on an apprentices over the next twelve months, with 84 per cent taking this decision to develop future engineering skills.

There has been plenty of debate about a disjointed national training picture that isn’t aligned for industrial needs, and this is clear from the report.

The vast majority (72 per cent) believe that there isn’t enough national Government support for training, with 44 per cent wanting better funding for apprenticeships and 39 per cent to boost upskilling.

Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training said: “The last twelve months have been dominated by global pressures outside of industry’s control, with a cocktail of difficulties, ranging from supply chain disruption and conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, to far reaching political uncertainty and high inflation.

“With all these pressures in mind, we are pleasantly surprised that so many businesses have prioritised meeting their skills gaps over cutting budgets in the face of soaring prices.”

“In our opinion, this shows an overwhelming desire by our sector to support the development of apprentices and to address the burning issue of skills, making sure that a lack of talent - both now and in the future - is not a barrier to UK manufacturing making the most out of its recent resurgence.

“The stat around Government support is interesting and highlights a disparity with the local picture, which is a lot more optimistic and responsive to employer needs.

“The prime example here is a funding boost we received from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to support the introduction of more modularised training, helping management teams overcome the issue of releasing staff from core operations – seen as the biggest barrier to training.

“Local Skills Improvement Plans, supposedly set-up to drive industry-led investment on a national basis, have so far failed to support the direct funding of modular programmes. And this despite 83 per cent of bosses saying they would take up the opportunity of modularised training if funding was in place!”

“Another area of concern is the vast amount of youth unemployment among NEETS (not in employment, education or training). Having access to funded training programmes - tailored to specific engineering needs - could really help get people into the hundreds of jobs currently available in industry.”